Ultimate Fantasy World Juniors Mock Draft Shows Depth of Talent, Potential Strategies
Updated: Dec 4, 2021
A dynasty league for the World Juniors is a novel concept. It’s never been done before and certainly never on the level envisioned by Ultimate Franchise Fantasy Sports.
With the UFWJ Franchise Auction upon us this weekend — starting Saturday at noon ET and ending Sunday at 8 p.m. ET — this revolutionary league is on the verge of becoming a reality for the 2022 tournament that begins on Boxing Day (Dec. 26, 2021), mirroring the IIHF World Junior Championship with 10 franchises drafting 25-man rosters, plus 5-man protected lists for future years to emphasize the dynasty element.
Those draft strategies are going to be fascinating — as will the creativity of franchises branding as unique countries with flags and uniforms — for the Ultimate Fantasy World Juniors. The Inaugural Draft is slated for Dec. 19, following selection camps and as the WJC countries are finalizing their rosters through pre-tournament exhibitions, but it is never too early to start mocking the potential results.
Since this is new and innovative, it’s tough to predict how UFWJ franchises will approach the draft. Some will be looking to win now by selecting the best players available — with gold, silver and bronze medals up for grabs, along with player awards — while others will have an eye for the future by prioritizing their protected list and targeting prospects that can return for multiple tournaments. For the protected list, franchises can go as young as 2024 eligibles, which is the current UFFS scouting cutoff — always three years out from the NHL draft. That class is born in 2006, while the WJC is primarily a 19-year-old tournament, thus starring 2002-born prospects that were drafted last year. So that offers a five-year range of eligibility for UFWJ franchises and they can select their protected list players in any of the 30 rounds, adding further intrigue in terms of draft strategies.
With this initial mock draft, UFFS director of hockey scouting Larry Fisher went 11 rounds deep to showcase the talent available for top-six forwards, top-four defenders and starting goaltenders. The first six rounds were focused on starting lineups — three forwards, two defenders and one goaltender — but UFWJ franchises won’t have to follow that script for the Inaugural Draft in selecting a total of 14 forwards, 8 defenders and 3 goaltenders for this year’s tournament, plus 5 prospects of any position for their protected list. Those are the necessary totals but franchises can fill out their rosters in any fashion — they could take all their forwards before taking any defenders, if they so desired. And their protected list could be comprised strictly of forwards without any defenders or goaltenders.
Regardless of roster construction, the later rounds will make a world of difference — drafting the right depth players, including the revelations and breakout sensations, will determine the medal contenders. Every franchise will feature a quality core — as evidenced by this mock — but those hidden gems and unsung heroes could put a franchise over the top and onto the podium. This league ensures every player competing in the WJC will have value, so if a fourth-liner from Austria happens to score or Switzerland’s third-string goalie somehow posts a shutout, one of the UFWJ franchises will be celebrating!
Now that the picture has been painted, let’s proceed with the fun of a fresh canvas for every franchise in this 11-round UFWJ Mock Draft — selecting 110 of the 300 players that will be picked in the Inaugural Draft before recapping the results for the UFWJ franchises as well as the WJC countries.
Franchise Results By Draft Order
Franchise 1
Matvei Michkov – F, Russia
Owen Power – D, Canada
Kent Johnson – F, Canada
Kaiden Guhle – D, Canada
Juraj Slafkovsky – F, Slovakia
Leevi Merilainen – G, Finland
Martin Chromiak – F, Slovakia
Jan Mysak – F, Czech Republic
Adam Fantilli – F, Canada
Eemil Viro – D, Finland
Wyatt Kaiser – D, USA
Franchise 2
Shane Wright – F, Canada
Connor Bedard – F, Canada
Mason McTavish – F, Canada
Shakir Mukhamadullin – D, Russia
Daniil Chayka – D, Russia
Nick Malik – G, Czech Republic
Lukas Reichel – F, Germany
Stanislav Svozil – D, Czech Republic
Nikita Chibrikov – F, Russia
Pavel Novak – F, Czech Republic
Vladimir Grudinin – D, Russia
Franchise 3
Sebastian Cossa – G, Canada
Dylan Guenther – F, Canada
Jake Neighbours – F, Canada
Topi Niemela – D, Finland
Jacob Perreault – F, Canada
Ryan O’Rourke – D, Canada
Zayde Wisdom – F, Canada
Ridly Greig – F, Canada
Ozzy Wiesblatt – F, Canada
Joni Jurmo – D, Finland
Daemon Hunt – D, Canada
Franchise 4
Yaroslav Askarov – G, Russia
Simon Edvinsson – D, Sweden
Marat Khusnutdinov – F, Russia
Alexander Pashin – F, Russia
Isak Rosen – F, Sweden
Kirill Kirsanov – D, Russia
Oskar Olausson – F, Sweden
Daniil Gushchin – F, Russia
Daniel Ljungman – F, Sweden
Ruben Rafkin – D, Finland
Elias Salomonsson – D, Sweden
Franchise 5
Cole Perfetti – F, Canada
Hendrix Lapierre – F, Canada
Drew Commesso – G, USA
Matt Coronato – F, USA
Lukas Cormier – D, Canada
Yan Kuznetsov – D, Russia
Samu Tuomaala – F, Finland
Logan Cooley – F, USA
Kasper Simontaival – F, Finland
Olen Zellweger – D, Canada
Seamus Casey – D, USA
Franchise 6
Alexander Holtz – F, Sweden
Quinton Byfield – F, Canada
Brandt Clarke – D, Canada
Helge Grans – D, Sweden
Sasha Pastujov – F, USA
Jan Bednar – G, Czech Republic
William Wallinder – D, Sweden
Matthew Knies – F, USA
Sean Behrens – D, USA
Theodor Niederbach – F, Sweden
Daniel Torgersson – F, Sweden
Franchise 7
William Eklund – F, Sweden
Seth Jarvis – F, Canada
Simon Nemec – D, Slovakia
Simon Latkoczy – G, Slovakia
Joakim Kemell – F, Finland
David Jiricek – D, Czech Republic
Jonathan Lekkerimaki – F, Sweden
Fabian Lysell – F, Sweden
Dalibor Dvorsky – F, Slovakia
Michael Krutil – D, Czech Republic
Dmitri Kostenko – D, Russia
Franchise 8
Jake Sanderson – D, USA
Joel Blomqvist – G, Finland
Ivan Miroshnichenko – F, Russia
Tyson Foerster – F, Canada
Brad Lambert – F, Finland
Samuel Knazko – D, Slovakia
Matthew Savoie – F, Canada
Carter Savoie – F, Canada
Carson Lambos – D, Canada
Michael Benning – D, Canada
Filip Mesar – F, Slovakia
Franchise 9
Jesper Wallstedt – G, Sweden
Aatu Raty – F, Finland
Roni Hirvonen – F, Finland
Aron Kiviharju – D, Finland
Roby Jarventie – F, Finland
Emil Andrae – D, Sweden
Artyom Grushnikov – D, Russia
Fyodor Svechkov – F, Russia
Vasily Ponomarev – F, Russia
Kasper Puutio – D, Finland
Samu Salminen – F, Finland
Franchise 10
Matty Beniers – F, USA
Luke Hughes – D, USA
Thomas Bordeleau – F, USA
Brock Faber – D, USA
J.J. Peterka – F, Germany
Calle Clang – G, Sweden
Chaz Lucius – F, USA
Florian Elias – F, Germany
Mackie Samoskevich – F, USA
Luca Munzenberger – D, Germany
Scott Morrow – D, USA
Franchise Rosters By Position
Franchise 1
Matvei Michkov – F, Russia
Kent Johnson – F, Canada
Juraj Slafkovsky – F, Slovakia
Martin Chromiak – F, Slovakia
Jan Mysak – F, Czech Republic
Adam Fantilli – F, Canada
Owen Power – D, Canada
Kaiden Guhle – D, Canada
Eemil Viro – D, Finland
Wyatt Kaiser – D, USA
Leevi Merilainen – G, Finland
Franchise 2
Shane Wright – F, Canada
Connor Bedard – F, Canada
Mason McTavish – F, Canada
Lukas Reichel – F, Germany
Nikita Chibrikov – F, Russia
Pavel Novak – F, Czech Republic
Shakir Mukhamadullin – D, Russia
Daniil Chayka – D, Russia
Stanislav Svozil – D, Czech Republic
Vladimir Grudinin – D, Russia
Nick Malik – G, Czech Republic
Franchise 3
Dylan Guenther – F, Canada
Jake Neighbours – F, Canada
Jacob Perreault – F, Canada
Zayde Wisdom – F, Canada
Ridly Greig – F, Canada
Ozzy Wiesblatt – F, Canada
Topi Niemela – D, Finland
Ryan O’Rourke – D, Canada
Joni Jurmo – D, Finland
Daemon Hunt – D, Canada
Sebastian Cossa – G, Canada
Franchise 4
Marat Khusnutdinov – F, Russia
Alexander Pashin – F, Russia
Isak Rosen – F, Sweden
Oskar Olausson – F, Sweden
Daniil Gushchin – F, Russia
Daniel Ljungman – F, Sweden
Simon Edvinsson – D, Sweden
Kirill Kirsanov – D, Russia
Ruben Rafkin – D, Finland
Elias Salomonsson – D, Sweden
Yaroslav Askarov – G, Russia
Franchise 5
Cole Perfetti – F, Canada
Hendrix Lapierre – F, Canada
Matt Coronato – F, USA
Samu Tuomaala – F, Finland
Logan Cooley – F, USA
Kasper Simontaival – F, Finland
Lukas Cormier – D, Canada
Yan Kuznetsov – D, Russia
Olen Zellweger – D, Canada
Seamus Casey – D, USA
Drew Commesso – G, USA
Franchise 6
Alexander Holtz – F, Sweden
Quinton Byfield – F, Canada
Sasha Pastujov – F, USA
Matthew Knies – F, USA
Theodor Niederbach – F, Sweden
Daniel Torgersson – F, Sweden
Brandt Clarke – D, Canada
Helge Grans – D, Sweden
William Wallinder – D, Sweden
Sean Behrens – D, USA
Jan Bednar – G, Czech Republic
Franchise 7
William Eklund – F, Sweden
Seth Jarvis – F, Canada
Joakim Kemell – F, Finland
Jonathan Lekkerimaki – F, Sweden
Fabian Lysell – F, Sweden
Dalibor Dvorsky – F, Slovakia
Simon Nemec – D, Slovakia
David Jiricek – D, Czech Republic
Michael Krutil – D, Czech Republic
Dmitri Kostenko – D, Russia
Simon Latkoczy – G, Slovakia
Franchise 8
Ivan Miroshnichenko – F, Russia
Tyson Foerster – F, Canada
Brad Lambert – F, Finland
Matthew Savoie – F, Canada
Carter Savoie – F, Canada
Filip Mesar – F, Slovakia
Jake Sanderson – D, USA
Samuel Knazko – D, Slovakia
Carson Lambos – D, Canada
Michael Benning – D, Canada
Joel Blomqvist – G, Finland
Franchise 9
Aatu Raty – F, Finland
Roni Hirvonen – F, Finland
Roby Jarventie – F, Finland
Fyodor Svechkov – F, Russia
Vasily Ponomarev – F, Russia
Samu Salminen – F, Finland
Aron Kiviharju – D, Finland
Emil Andrae – D, Sweden
Artyom Grushnikov – D, Russia
Kasper Puutio – D, Finland
Jesper Wallstedt – G, Sweden
Franchise 10
Matty Beniers – F, USA
Thomas Bordeleau – F, USA
J.J. Peterka – F, Germany
Chaz Lucius – F, USA
Florian Elias – F, Germany
Mackie Samoskevich – F, USA
Luke Hughes – D, USA
Brock Faber – D, USA
Luca Munzenberger – D, Germany
Scott Morrow – D, USA
Calle Clang – G, Sweden
Franchise Depth Charts
ANALYSIS: This franchise is well balanced between present and future, led by the dynamic Michigan duo of Power and Johnson as top-five picks from this year’s NHL draft, while Michkov and Fantilli are among the Big Three for 2023 and Slafkovsky is also a top-five candidate for 2022. Guhle is likely to captain Canada, with Mysak and Chromiak also expected to have leading roles for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, respectively. Merilainen could emerge as Finland’s starter — though he’d have to steal the net from returnee Joel Blomqvist — and Viro should have a prominent role on Finland’s blue line, including potential power-play time, while Kaiser isn’t a lock for the Americans but could become a key contributor on their back end if he makes the cut.
ANALYSIS: Boasting a 1-2 punch of Wright and Bedard as frontrunners to be first overall picks in 2022 and 2023 — with Bedard surprisingly slipping to the second round in this mock — Franchise 2 would be thrilled with this result. McTavish would have to be loaned by Anaheim but that still seems probable, as does Reichel getting loaned by Chicago’s AHL affiliate Rockford. Assuming those loans come to fruition, this offence would be tough to top, with Novak and Chibrikov also pegged for productive tournaments. Franchise 2 went with three Russians on defence — including that country’s top two in Mukhamadullin and Chayka, with Grudinin more of a reach for the future — while also taking a couple Czechs, with Svozil rounding out their all-Euro blue line as another top-pair defender for his nation and Malik tabbed as their starter in hopes of him securing that Czech crease over Detroit draft pick Jan Bednar.
ANALYSIS: Canada and the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, in particular, are well represented on Franchise 3. Cossa is one of the Big Three between the pipes for this year’s tournament — along with Russia’s Yaroslav Askarov and Sweden’s Jesper Wallstedt as Top 20 picks from the past two NHL drafts — while Oil Kings linemates Guenther and Neighbours will be sticking together here in leading an all-Canadian forward group. Neighbours was recently returned to junior by St. Louis and Perreault would need to be loaned from Anaheim’s AHL affiliate San Diego, while Wisdom should be recovered from shoulder surgery in time for Canada’s selection camp, which starts on Dec. 9. Greig and Wiesblatt are energetic WHLers who could also be impact players for Franchise 3, providing they make the cut for Canada. Niemela enters the tournament as Finland’s top defender on paper and his compatriot Jurmo could enjoy a coming-out party on this stage. O’Rourke will have a role on Canada’s defence and in a leadership capacity, while Hunt will be in the mix for the final spot on that Canadian blue line.
ANALYSIS: Franchise 4 built from the back end, with Askarov as an elite goaltender and Edvinsson as one of the better blueliners available. The forward group features a Russian line as well as a Swedish line among this all-Euro core. Kirsanov could have an offensive role on Russia’s blue line, while Salomonsson is an offensive-minded Swedish defender for the future. Rafkin, the lone Finn, is very familiar with the North American game — having been a USHL and OHL import before returning home to the Liiga this season — so he should have a strong showing with this year’s tournament in Edmonton.
ANALYSIS: Powered by Perfetti and Lapierre as forwards with NHL experience and a track record of success in best-on-best showcases for this age group — they starred for Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup a couple years ago — Franchise 5 has the makings of a medal contender on paper. Commesso will backstop the defending champion Americans, with Coronato among their go-to guys up front. Cooley and Casey will be go-to guys for Team USA next year but might be able to make an immediate impact if they crack this year’s roster. Likewise for Zellweger on Canada’s back end, coming off a stellar showing at the world under-18s back in April where he quarterbacked the power play. That role may belong to Cormier at this under-20 tourney, with Zellweger waiting in the wings for next year. Kuznetsov could be a two-way force for Russia in rounding out the defence corps for Franchise 5. Last but not least, Tuomaala and Simontaival should fill the net as Finnish forwards.
ANALYSIS: A couple big “ifs” here — if Byfield is healthy and if Holtz is loaned by New Jersey — but Franchise 6 might be the favourite for gold with this core. Of course, if Byfield is healthy and loaned by Los Angeles, he is worthy of a top-five pick and obviously wouldn’t slide to the second round unless there is uncertainty surrounding his ankle injury. A strong case can be made for Holtz in the top five as well — even without his Terror Twin in Lucas Raymond, who won’t be getting loaned as the Calder favourite in the NHL thus far. Franchise 6 features a few Kings prospects with Clarke and Grans anchoring an impressive blue line. There is also a Swedish theme, with Holtz alongside Niederbach and Torgersson — that could very well be Sweden’s top line too — in addition to Grans and Wallinder as defenders. Pastujov and Knies could be top-six forwards for the Americans and Behrens should be impactful on their back end. Bednar will be battling the aforementioned Malik to be the Czech starter for the medal round.
ANALYSIS: Franchise 7 is playing the long game by loading up on youngsters that will likely play in two or more WJCs going forward. Eklund, now back in Sweden, and Jarvis, assuming he is loaned to Canada by Carolina, will lead the offence with their NHL experience. Nemec and Jiricek are potential top-10 picks in the 2022 draft as coveted right-shot defenders who were already standouts at last year’s WJC as underagers — and both will be eligible to return for a third tourney next year, assuming they aren’t in the NHL. Kemell and Lekkerimaki are also top-10 candidates for 2022 as scoring forwards who could do their share of sniping despite being underagers this year. Dvorsky is even younger as a 2023 eligible but don’t underestimate his potential impact for Slovakia, who will be backstopped by Latkoczy again as one of the revelations from last year’s WJC before joining USHL Chicago for their championship run to complete his Cinderella season. Now starring for USHL Madison, Latkoczy is no longer under the radar but could be a sleeper for the tournament’s top goaltender award if Slovakia pulls an upset or two and perhaps makes the semis to play for a medal. That is a long-shot, on both fronts, with Cossa, Askarov and Wallstedt as the favourites for that accolade. Lysell is getting acclimatized to Western Canada as an import for WHL Vancouver and should fare well for Sweden. Krutil is already in North America too, likely to be loaned from AHL Rockford as a top-pairing defender for the Czechs, with Svozil and Jiricek competing to be his partner. Kostenko is a lesser-known Russian but Montreal has done well drafting defenders in recent years, so he might exceed expectations as well.
ANALYSIS: Franchise 8 has an interesting makeup with the Savoie brothers up front, while Matthew’s Winnipeg teammate Lambos and Carter’s Denver teammate Benning are paired on the blue line. Benning hasn’t been mentioned a whole lot as a roster hopeful for Canada but deserves consideration, having previously shone alongside the Savoie brothers with AJHL Sherwood Park. Sanderson is the stud on this defence and could be a dominant force in this year’s tournament as the real key to Team USA repeating. Knazko is returning as Slovakia’s captain from last year and is already en route to North America as an import for WHL Seattle. Blomqvist is the last line of defence here as another returnee and projected starter for Finland. Foerster, who would be loaned by Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate, and Carter Savoie would be lethal on the same line as legit snipers for Canada. Looking to the future, in addition to Matthew Savoie, Miroshnichenko, Lambert and Mesar are a forward trio projected as top-20 picks for 2022. It’ll be interesting to see how many of those four are representing their countries at this year’s tournament — Miroshnichenko (Russia) and Mesar (Slovakia) appear more likely than the younger Savoie (Canada) and Lambert (Finland) ahead of selection camps — but all four should have starring roles next year, which would bode well for Franchise 8’s chances of medalling in 2023.
ANALYSIS: Another all-Euro core that could contend for a UFWJ medal, Franchise 9 targeted Finland’s top line with the resurgent Raty between Hirvonen and Jarventie, who will be loaned by Ottawa’s AHL affiliate. That trio could do as much damage as Sweden’s top line from Franchise 6. Funny how that worked out in this mock, not coincidentally. It was intentional to highlight that strategy of selecting linemates and loading up on players from the same country, which Franchise 9 obviously did with a half-dozen Finns as well as a few Russians and a couple crucial Swedes. Salminen and Puutio project as secondary contributors for Finland, while Kiviharju represents the future there as the very early frontrunner to go first overall in 2024 — and the lone 2024 eligible taken in this mock. Could he be the first Finn to go No. 1? Time will tell but Kiviharju will play in at least two WJCs prior to getting drafted and possibly three if he happens to make this year’s roster. If he doesn’t go straight to the NHL following his draft year or is loaned back to Finland as an NHL rookie, Kiviharju could become a rare four-time participant in the WJC — and an incredibly valuable commodity in this dynasty league! Speaking of MVPs, Wallstedt is among the most valuable players for this year’s tournament as Sweden’s starter. Andrae will be one of Sweden’s top defenders, always performing well at international events including the recent U20 4 Nations tournament. The Russians shouldn’t disappoint for Franchise 9 either, with Svechkov and Ponomarev pencilled into top-six roles as two-way talents and Grushnikov being a steady, rock-solid defender on a hard-hitting blue line with the aforementioned Mukhamadullin, Chayka and Kuznetsov.